Chapter 1 — The Night I Died

Rain crashed violently against the windshield as the black car sped down the empty highway.

Inside, Evelyn Carter gripped the steering wheel with trembling hands. Blood slowly dripped from the cut near her temple, staining the sleeve of her white dress.

Behind her, police sirens screamed through the storm.

“Pull over immediately!”

A bitter laugh escaped her lips.

Pull over?

For what?

For crimes she never committed?

Her vision blurred as memories replayed mercilessly inside her mind.

Only a few hours ago, she attended a glamorous charity banquet beside her husband, Damien Blackwood—the cold, powerful CEO admired by the entire city.

Now she was being hunted like a criminal.

Fraud. Murder. Embezzlement.

Every accusation had her name attached to it.

Every piece of evidence pointed directly at her.

And the person who handed that evidence to the police—

Was Damien himself.

Her fingers tightened painfully around the steering wheel.

“I trusted you…” she whispered brokenly.

The image of the courtroom flashed before her eyes.

Damien stands tall in his black suit. His expression is emotionless. His voice was calm and sharp enough to destroy her completely.

“Evelyn Carter is guilty.”

Not once had he defended her.

Not once had he looked at her with love.

And her best friend, Sophia Hayes…

Evelyn’s eyes darkened with hatred.

Sophia had cried fake tears in court while testifying against her.

“She confessed everything to me,” Sophia had sobbed dramatically.

What a perfect performance.

Evelyn finally understood it was too late.

The affair. The stolen company shares. The forged signatures. The poison was planted inside her office.

Everything had been planned carefully from the beginning.

And she walked straight into the trap.

Thunder exploded across the sky.

Suddenly—

Bright headlights appeared ahead.

A truck.

Too close.

Evelyn gasped and jerked the steering wheel violently.

The tires screeched.

The car spun across the wet road before crashing into the guardrail with a deafening sound.

Glass shattered everywhere.

Pain tore through her body.

Then came fire.

Orange flames swallowed the front of the car instantly.

Smoke filled the air as Evelyn struggled weakly against the crushed seatbelt.

Her breathing became shallow.

This is how it ends…

Tears slid silently down her cheeks.

The heat burned her skin, but somehow the pain inside her heart hurt more.

She remembered being nineteen years old again.

Damien standing beneath golden autumn leaves outside university grounds.

“You’ll always be safe with me,” he had promised softly while holding her hand.

Back then, his eyes had been warm.

Back then, she believed him.

“What a beautiful lie…” Evelyn whispered painfully.

The fire spread rapidly around her.

The sirens outside faded.

Everything grew distant.

Then suddenly—

A blinding white light flashed before her eyes.

Warm. Strange. Endless.

Evelyn’s body felt weightless.

Was this death?

Her eyelids slowly closed.

But instead of darkness—

She heard birds singing.

Soft wind brushed against her skin.

And somewhere nearby, a familiar voice called nervously:

“Miss Carter? Wake up—you’ll be late for the engagement party!”

Evelyn’s eyes snapped open.

She sat upright sharply, gasping for air.

Sunlight streamed through massive bedroom windows.

Fresh roses decorated the room.

No smoke. No fire. No blood.

Her breathing stopped.

Slowly, she turned toward the mirror beside the bed.

A younger version of herself stared back.

Smooth skin. Bright eyes. No scars.

Her hands trembled violently.

“This… can’t be possible…”

Then her gaze landed on the calendar beside the lamp.

October 7th.

Six years earlier.

The day before her engagement to Damien Blackwood.

A cold chill ran down her spine.

She was alive.

No—

She had been reborn.

A knock suddenly sounded at the door.

“Miss Carter?” the maid asked carefully. “Mr. Blackwood has arrived.”

Damien.

The man who betrayed her.

The man she once loved enough to die for.

Hatred slowly burned inside her chest.

But this time…

Things would be different.

Evelyn rose from the bed slowly and looked at herself in the mirror again.

A cold smile appeared on her lips.

“In this life,” she whispered softly, “I’ll make all of you pay.”

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